


My What Big Eyes You Have Grandpa!

by Nestri



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack, Domestic, Gen, Insecurity, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23488582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nestri/pseuds/Nestri
Summary: The serum gifted Steve with super strength and advanced healing. But the serum also gave him a few… peculiarities.Steve doesn’t blink when he reads. And it’s driving Tony insane.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 139





	My What Big Eyes You Have Grandpa!

**Author's Note:**

> This plot bunny demanded to be written. I'm so sorry.

The serum gifted Steve with super strength and advanced healing. But the serum also gave him a few… peculiarities. Steve doesn’t blink when he reads. And it’s driving Tony insane. 

The first time he notices is after another boring meeting in SHIELD’s facility. The room, with it’s grey walls and metal tables, is just as drab as Fury’s droning explanation of their next mission’s objective.

Once Fury passes a mission briefing folder to each avenger, they all get up to leave. All except Steve and Tony. Natasha stares at him with an unreadable look before she follows Clint out of the meeting room. 

Once they’re all gone, Tony shoots a glance at Steve. The super soldier is sitting at the right hand side at the head of the table. He hasn’t opened the folder yet. He’s not really sure why Steve has decided to stay back. Tony’s just staying to piss off Fury by overstaying his welcome. 

With that thought, he gets more comfortable, throwing his legs atop the table and crossing them. Steve shoots him an annoyed look but doesn’t say anything.

Tony ignores him and begins to skim the mission briefing. The files and documents somehow manage to be _vastly_ more in depth than Fury’s overview.

Tony rolls his eyes and shoots a glance over at the Capsicle. Steve’s head is angled down, the folder open in front of him but what gives him pause is Steve’s face. Specifically his eyes, which are wide open and unmoving. 

Tony’s first instinct is the laugh. Cap must’ve fallen asleep with his eyes open, which Tony was very close to doing while Fury was talking. He chuckles a bit more until Steve clears his throat, and thumbs to the next page. 

Tony abruptly stops laughing at the sound and almost falls out of his seat. 

“Steve?” Tony says tentatively. Steve looks up at Tony quizzically and he’s still. not. blinking. 

“Are you ok?” Then Steve blinks once and his eye’s suddenly don’t seem to take up so much of his face. 

“Uh.. just peachy Cap.” Then Tony runs away. Well it feels like he runs away. In actuality, Tony gathers up his folder, overly casual, and then gives a jaunty salute before getting the hell outta dodge. 

A few days pass before it happens again. In those days, Tony chooses to ignore whatever happened in the meeting room. It was no big deal. Nothing to dwell on, no sir.

Except, Tony’s making his way to the communal kitchen when it happens again. It’s so late that it won’t be long before morning time. 

Tony can even see the beginning of the sun peaking across the horizon. He winces, knowing that he overdid it in his lab. But he was getting something to eat _now_ and that’s all that matters.

He walks by a passed out and drooling Clint on the floor without batting an eye. That’s just a typical Tuesday morning. He thinks it’s Tuesday. He’s at least 65.4% sure it’s Tuesday. 

When he reaches the kitchen a rock of dread settles in his stomach as he realizes that Steve is sitting at the bar. A glass of water and enough toast to feed the team two times over is in front of him. He hasn’t been avoiding Steve, not exactly. They go days without seeing each other all the time. 

Tony convinces himself he’s not acting weird as he darts over to his coffee maker. Everything will make sense once he’s had a mug or 10.

As Tony busies himself with the coffee maker, Steve wishes him a good morning that is way too chipper for it being ass o’clock in the morning.

Steve’s tucking into his toast in earnest and the best part is his eyes are their normal size and he’s blinking. So all is right in the world as far as Tony can tell. 

The stone crumbles away and leaves his stomach with a flutter as Steve smiles at him. He’s already dressed for the day, in a soft looking green t-shirt and pair of jeans. His feet are bare. Tony thinks about his own grease stained shirt and manages a small smile of his own, one of the rare genuine ones. 

He sips on his coffee and they sit in companionable silence. Then to Tony’s horror, Steve pulls a folded up _newspaper_ out of his pocket. The pocket on the other side of his jeans that Tony didn’t see. It’s so _unfair._

Steve unfolds the newspaper and grips each corner in his hands. Then it starts again. Tony can only stare, almost gaping, as Steve’s eyes once again widen and stare down at the paper, unblinking.

Tony snaps his head back to his coffee, trying to ignore it the best he can. Sure it’s a little unsettling but Tony has done some unsettling things in the past too. Resolute, Tony gulps back the rest of his coffee and gets up to refill his mug. 

He pours his coffee, which is black enough to peel paint, and leans on the counter. There’s nothing to be afraid of, he tells himself. Because there isn’t. It’s just Steve.

His own eyes dart around the kitchen. Wow, he never realized how interesting his floor tiling was. Is that a hint of red he sees? 

Just as he’s distracting himself, Steve starts chuckling. Tony’s eyes snap up and he looks over to the super soldier. The newspaper is open to the comics page. The _funnies._ Which Tony knows they are anything but. 

Steve is still chuckling and his damn eyes are still and wide. The sound of terror Tony makes can barely be described as human. Steve turns his blue eyes on him and his eyelids flutter once, twice as he looks at Tony in concern. 

“Uh..” Tony struggles for an excuse. “We don’t wear green on Tuesdays Cap. Stark Tower rules.” 

Steve looks bemused. “It’s Thursday?” 

Tony knows his expression is somewhat feral as he gestures at the room at large, “Point still stands.” 

Steve seems to take this in stride, entirely used to Tony’s eccentricities. Steve looks content as he folds up his paper, which causes Tony to sigh in relief. Steve busies himself with cleaning his dishes which Tony rolls his eyes at but doesn’t comment. Steve dries his hands. 

“I’ll see you later shell head.” Steve says as he leaves the room. I bet you will Captain Spectacles, Tony thinks. 

It all comes to a head when Tony gets hurt on a mission. He wakes up groggy to the sound of steady beeping and the sharp smell of antiseptic.

He’s in the hospital.

Great.

He rolls his head over to his left where he can hear snoring. It’s Steve, sleeping upright and looking uncomfortable. He’s not in his uniform, but a tight white t-shirt that leaves nothing to the imagination and a pair of grey sweatpants. On his lap lies a paperback book weathered with age. 

Tony groans as his hip flares with pain. Steve’s eyes snap open and he flinches. Steve then gives him a stern look. The Captain’s jaw clenches and Tony knows he’s in for quite the dressing down. 

Steve seems to deflate just like that and runs a hand down his face. Tony ignores him. He’s too busy to sit up. 

Steve gets up, placing the book on his now empty seat, “You’re probably due for more painkillers.” He explains.

Tony eyes trail from the slightly dripping IV bag down to the needle stuck in the back of his hand. Underneath his hand is a button that, when depressed, will release more morphine into his system. Before he can press down, Steve’s hands are on his. He almost snatches his hand away to be petty but he doesn’t want to damage the IV. 

“Wait. Let’s see how much you should have.” Steve explains. Tony sighs. 

“Alright then, get a move on.” Tony says flippantly before he realizes what he’s just done. Steve, oblivious, snatches his medical chart off the edge of the bed. 

Steve’s eyes begin to widen and that’s all it takes before Tony explodes.

“What the fuck are you doing!” Steve jumps at his shout. Tony is practically vibrating with anger. He’s not sure why he’s so mad but he _is._

Steve snatches his hands away from the chart. “Sorry I should’ve asked before I looked at it or gotten a nurse. I can do that now.” 

“No!” Tony growls because Steve is doing that thing where he looks like a lost puppy and it’s always hard to focus when he does that. “I don’t care if you look at my chart!”

Because as an Avenger they can’t really afford to have any secrets about their physical attributes. He continues this thought aloud. “Hell, you probably know all about the birthmark on my left asscheek.”

Steve blushes and starts to stammer. Tony glares at him from his bed. “I’m waiting.” 

Steve just looks confused. 

“You don’t even realize you’re doing it do you?” Tony laughs incredulously. 

“Do.. what?"

Tony sobers up because that’s not an expression he ever wants to see on Steve’s face again. He looks forlorn and ashamed, even though he doesn’t know what Tony is about to tell him. 

Tony deflates, realizing how cruddy he’d been. This is Steve. Strong, smart, kind Steve. Tony grasps desperately for a nice way to break the news. 

“Do you ever notice anything when you’re reading?” Tony winces as he dances around the issue. Steve looks contemplative, seeming to take the conversation seriously. 

“Can’t say I have.” Steve says after a few quiet moments. 

“Steve you- dammit I’m just gonna to say it. When you read your eyes get really wide and you don’t blink. At all.” 

“Oh.”

The sounds of the hospital fade away as the room quiets. 

“Steve? Please say something.” 

“Sorry. I thought I was getting better at that.”

“Better?” 

“I don’t need to blink.” Tony’s jaw drops. “I just do it so I don’t make folks uncomfortable. Sometimes I just get so hooked I forget.”

Tony stares at him. Steve stares back. More staring happens and then; “You aren’t joking are you?”

“Nope.” Steve then smiles tentatively. Tony sighs but he can’t stop the uptick of his lip. 

“Can I?” Steve gestures toward the abandoned chart. Tony nods and sits back. He forces himself to look at Steve while he reads the chart. Steve blinks slowly. Once. Twice. Each blink looks unnatural. 

“You don’t have to.” Tony blurts out. The grin Steve sends him is blinding and he reads over the rest of the chart quickly. 

“One press Tony. Just one.” 

“Yea, yea” Tony says as he presses the button once, because he can listen every so often. 

Steve returns to his chair beside Tony’s bed. He returns the book to his lap and looks uncomfortable. 

“Steve, Steve, Cap, read the book.” he slurs as the meds start to take effect. His eyes feel heavy and he speaks around a yawn. 

The soldier grabs his book and opens a random page. He begins to read, so obviously trying to blink it almost looks like he’s trying to send a message in morse code. 

“No,” Tony slurs. “Properly.” 

Steve looks uncertain but Tony gives him what he hopes is an encouraging look. and he flips a few pages.

Tony can feel his eyes closing, feel sleep claiming him, but he looks at Steve. A small fond smile plays on Tony’s lips as he watches Steve read, bright blue eyes still and unblinking. The last thing Tony sees as he drifts to sleep is Steve sitting tall, comfortable and confident in himself.

As he always should be. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
